


Weight of the World

by Cyanidal



Series: Hybrid Status [1]
Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Hybrid AU, Nether Beast Tango, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Relationships, Secrets, Void Demon Xisuma, for now at least
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:15:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27676612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyanidal/pseuds/Cyanidal
Summary: If the things you knew - the things you did - threatened to be the downfall of everything you knew, would you keep it close to your heart? Or would you run into the danger to protect them all, safety be damned?Would you sit back and watch the world you know crumble around by way of your own hand? Or would ignore every instinct to find another option?Of course, the universe is cruel - it never cared what he said. It'd just force his hand along in the end.But it never accounted for the stubbornness or the reckless determination of those around him.
Series: Hybrid Status [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2023840
Comments: 5
Kudos: 25





	Weight of the World

**Author's Note:**

> WELL, this happened sooner than I expected or intended.  
> I was struggling with a plot and had 0 ideas for a good while. I had some plot points and scenes but nothing that ties it all together. And, of course, I didn't want it to be forced. I've been developing this idea since before the oneshot I wrote, but I didn't want to force myself to write it, I feel that makes it choppier. Then it hit me while I was cleaning what to do. Soooo - this is the start of this. I don't know how long this will be yet as it's not entirely developed, but I have a good bit.
> 
> I'm very excited about this, and I'm hoping ya'll will be too. This chapter is a bit short but future chapters will be longer I pinky promise.

His heart was racing in his chest, blood pounding in his ears. He felt small under their gaze; purple eyes burrowing deep into his very soul. But he’d always felt small under them. The silence of the void around was deafening as the weight of their words hung heavy in his mind. His tail was tucked between his legs, tears building as he refused to let them fall. Refused to show weakness. To give them more of an opening  
  
 _“You’ve failed us again.”_ _  
_ _  
_He lets out a shaky sigh as he nods slowly. He can feel their anger building but it’s not unusual. It’s not the first time it’s happened. He’s failed so many times now but he can’t do it. He refuses to do it. He doesn’t _want_ to do it.  
  
Suddenly he’s pinned on his back, a hand tight around his throat, and he's left breathless from the sudden impact. He gasps like a fish out of water, struggling to try and get air but his hands are pinned above his head by another hand. It’s painful, the inhuman hand squeezing as tight as possible against his throat. His head is swimming as he continues to struggle, to do anything. They’ve always been stronger than him, since the day he came to exist.  
  
He’s always hated it.  
  
The hand lets up and he wastes no time, rolling to his side as he coughs and sputters for air. He hears a growl from off to his side but he shakes his head at the noise. It quickly stops.  
  
 _“Why do you continue to fail?”_ _  
_ _  
_“Fuck- I don’t know. Maybe because this is stupid? Pointless even. But you don’t care about that.” He spits back, looking up from the ground. The frown in response would've worried him but he was too fed up, refusing to go back on his words. It _is_ pointless but they’ve never listened to him. Why should they? He's the runt after all, and no one listens to the runt of a pack.  
  
There’s a sigh before he’s lifted to his feet again by a hand, one much more _human_ , and the world seems to tilt sideways. He groans as it spins, trying to find his balance. The hand remains, keeping him grounded and steady. But _they_ don’t wait for him; they never do. Never did, to begin with.  
  
 _“You have one more chance to do it right.”_ _  
_ _  
_He laughs, short and curt, “Or what? The same thing that happens every time? The same old thing because you’re all so uncreative.”  
  
Then they're the ones laughing, deep and downright terrifying. Even when they're laughing they don't sound remotely human. Not that they ever were. With a growl, he shrugs the hand off and away from him, the noises overwhelming his senses. He closes his eyes, for what reason he doesn’t know. Maybe to pretend it's all a dream.   
  
It never was.  
 _  
_ _“I don’t think that’s what we’ll do this time.”_  
  
When he opens his eyes he’s met with purple eyes more vibrant than before, if that was even possible. Was it? He couldn’t be sure and didn’t care. They seemed to glow brighter than ever as the grinning fangs leaned closer, too close. He could feel the hot breath on his face and it was petrifying. There was a tentative whine to his right but he couldn't look away.  
  
 _“Should you fail us again...”_ _  
_ _  
_He dares not speak as a claw drags up his throat and under his chin, coming to rest on the end as it tilts his head back further. Even breathing seems like a bad decision now. Maybe if he stopped doing that he’d just cease to exist.  
  
 _“You can just watch and enjoy the show.”  
  
_ It chuckled, a dark look in its eyes. He didn't doubt their words, their silent promise, should he deny them again. The laughing had quieted in the wake of their words, leaving the world eerily silent. Then in a flash, they’re gone. Not even a trace of their existence left behind, not except himself. The tears fall now, light purple against pale cheeks as his tail untucks and sways gently, brushing against the ground. It hurts, the ground rough on the sensitive skin, but he doesn't have the energy to care. The hand falls on his shoulder again and he’s violently aware of his shaking. His partner lets out a low whine, squeezing his shoulder gently.  
  
He sighs, rubbing gloved hands against his eyes, “It’s...It’s okay. I’m fine. Just...need to think.”   
  
He turns on his heel quickly, heading back toward the portal they'd come through. Its bright red glow is such a stark contrast against the pure white ground and pitch blacks skies. Footsteps follow close behind but no more words are spoken. None need to be.  
  
It's always been the destiny he was meant to follow, but he never wanted to, so he didn’t. Of course, it wasn’t that simple - they were cruel. He bore the scars of his past “failures” with no regret, but now, he didn’t have that option anymore. He felt his energy flare slightly, anger and guilt consuming his being from the inside out. It felt ready to boil over, like a long overdue volcano on the brink of a violent eruption.  
  
It took everything to just channel the energy to where it needed to go. The traits he shared fading into a soft purple glow before vanishing entirely. He felt his partner do the same across the void’s air, their own magic warm against his own.  
  
His own magic was so cold, like ice. _Like the things it came from._  
  
He paused in front of the portal and turned to his partner, locking eyes with the sad brown ones of the man beside him. His chest hurts as he's reminded that it's his fault, that he pulled him into this mess. He says nothing, distrusting his own voice, nodding toward the portal - a signal for them to go ahead. They pause for a moment before going, seemingly deciding it's not worth arguing.  
  
Now alone, he gently rubs a hand over his throat. It’s a dull ache now, but it bursts with new pain upon the slightest touch. He hisses as his hand falls away, his throat burning with renewed vigor. Surely it’d bruise soon if it hadn’t already; he was already thinking of ways to hide it or to brush it off. With one last check of himself, he stepped onto the portal, watching the red light flow around him.  
  
As his mind wanders further to solutions that will never work his heart begins to ache in his chest. Long ago, he might've believed in something. Now, he just mumbles empty prayers to the emptiness around him. It's all he can do to hope that one day, however far away, they'll forgive him for what has to be done. Because that's what it is now, isn't it? No more pretending, no more dancing around the bushes. It has to be done - everything else will simply fall apart in the end.  
  
It's just foolish wishing.  
  
Because really, how could they ever forgive a monster like him? _  
_

* * *

There was a scream that had Tango jumping to his feet and sprinting before he had even processed what he heard. The fur on the end of his tail was flared out in concern. He nearly fell rounded one of the corner shops before skidding to a halt at the sight. It certainly wasn't what he was expecting, but it wasn't exactly surprising. Mumbo was on his back, his hand clutched in the fabric where his heart would be, seeming to be breathing heavily. Grian, on the other hand, was doubled over laughing in front of him. He was wearing a spider mask; a particularly nasty looking one at that.  
  
“What in the world even _happened_ here?”  
  
Mumbo just gave a sigh that sounded more like a whine and Grian laughed even harder, tears falling from his eyes. Tango couldn’t do anything but shake his head at the antics, too used to the dynamic duo’s chaos.  
  
“I-I thought it would be...would be a good idea to sneak up on him,” The smaller man got out between laughs, too out of breath, “I didn’t- I didn’t think he was gonna fall over or...or _scream-”_  
  
After that it was all over, the laughing fit kicking back up as the memory seemed to replay in Grian’s mind. The redstoner had finally sat up, looking quite a mess. His hair was a bit wild and his jacket had some dirt on it. He let out a shaky sigh as he rubbed his temples and Tango chuckled, tail finally relaxing behind him, seeing that everything was as it usually was - _a mess_. But a fun one.   
  
“I’m glad you find this funny,” Mumbo grumbled from where he sat, his voice holding no venom as he glared at Grian, “I think I just lost a few years off my life.”  
  
“Mumbo I cannot- I cannot believe you just _screamed_ like that!”  
  
“What else was I supposed to do when I turned to see a spider on two legs?! Right in my face too!”  
  
“Sure sure, but since when do spiders also wear clothing Mumbo? I'm not exactly naked here!”  
  
Mumbo's face and ears lit up a bright red, ears laying flat on his head as embarrassment finally setting in, “I...didn’t really think about that.”  
  
Tango just smiled at them, offering a hand to Mumbo who took it gratefully. Once on his feet, he brushed himself off, straightening his suit out while Grian chattered away about what a spoon Mumbo was. It was peaceful, or as close to it as one could get, and a nice break from the redstone currently pestering Tango.  
  
He eventually wandered away from the two as they began their playful bickering again, heading back toward the concrete shop. Usually, Impulse would fix the floor but he’d been busy as of recent weeks, so Tango took over most of Concrete Complete to ease the load. It seemed like an easy fix; a few misplaced pieces of dust and a backward repeater.  
  
Except the redstone was a finicky bitch _._ _  
_ _  
_It sparked again, startling the nether being backward. Cursing at himself, he brushed his hands off on his pants, the red dust flaking off around him. Tango knew he was good with redstone, but it seemed to consistently to frustrate him. He kept his short temper under wraps most days but working with machines that seemed to mock him just ticked him off in the wrong way. Thankfully it was done and that’s all that mattered.  
  
Grumbling, he stormed out of the basement and in the direction of his rocket shop. Running a hand through his hair, Tango put all his focus into breathing evenly. When his communicator dinged it just grated against his ears. His tail flicked in annoyance but he refused to let his temper get the best of him. Then it dinged again. And again. _And again-_  
  
With a growl of frustration, he yanked it out his vest pocket, the tab labeled “Global chat” indicating unread messages. He angrily tapped it, just wanting the notification noises to stop. Sure, he could put it on silence mode, but that's not a good idea in case of emergencies. As it was, he quickly froze and the anger drained from him as he read the few messages.  
  
 _ImpulseSV fell from a high place_

 _  
__< GoodTimeWithScar> Oh no D:_

 _  
__< Cubfan135> Ouch, you alright?_

 _  
_ _< Grian> Impulse...you good? I think I heard that fall from over here_ _  
_ _  
_Tango blinked at the comm in his hand, hesitating on saying something. Impulse still hadn’t responded which was somewhat alarming. Impulse was always quick to respawn, laughing it off. It'd been longer than usual. He was about to type something when it pinged again.  
  
 _< ImpulseSV> Ugh, all good. Wasn’t paying attention to the edge_ _  
_ _  
_Tango tucked it back into his vest, no one else adding to the conversation. His anger had tapered off now, erased in the moment of concern. Tango still felt off about how long his friend took, but he chalked it up to his concern for all his friend's safety. And he did still have to check the rocket’s stock, it’d been ages. Knowing the hermits, they’d have gone through quite a lot by now. Especially a certain red sweater builder who used about 10 just to get off the ground.  
  
He walked in with an amused sigh, making a mental note to check up on Impulse later after he was done with shop restocking. With Impulse being so busy with….whatever it was he was doing and Tango trying to ease the shop's load they hadn’t really talked in a while. Tango couldn't help but wonder what had his friend so busy and why Impulse hadn't told him. They always shared their season plans but, Impulse just kept saying that he was busy. It worried the nether being more than he'd admit.  
  
And Tango missed his friend immensely.

* * *

“He started it before, why can’t he do it again? Why can’t he just follow through? Why didn't he the first time?”  
  
“Attachment.”  
  
“Then do you think he’ll actually do it this time?”  
  
“...”  
  
“Well?”  
  
“I don’t know. For his sake, I hope he does.”

**Author's Note:**

> Unimportant A/N: I accidentally started a playlist to this AU while writing, if ya'll are interested in me linking it let me know. It's not finished because I'll add as I write but, I thought I'd offer :P
> 
> And one last thing; this has nothing to do with ATUS. I don't really see any similarities - except maybe dealing with weird things and purple lights - but I wanted to make it clear. I've never really read it, so any similarities are purely coincidental. If anyone sees anything that's outright the same or too similar, please let me know (nicely) so I can make changes. I'm not here to infringe on other people's works, unintentional or not. This applies to any stories, not just ATUS - I just know that's a popular AU in the fandom.  
> Thank you!


End file.
